Accounting of data transmission costs in a mobile radio/telephone network

Abstract

A method is provided for the accounting of data transmission costs in a mobile radio network, in particular text and / or image data with or without sound, such that data which is or will be transmitted is assigned at least one cost signal for the costs of sending one or more replies relating to the transmitted data, and that this or these cost signal(s) are transmitted to the recipient(s) of the data.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Existing mobile radio networks, such as the network which operates in accordance with the GSM standard, offer only limited possibilities for transmitting non-spoken messages such as text data. For example, short messages having a maximum of 160 characters can be transmitted as texts. This arrangement is designated SMS (Short Message Service). The data sender has to pay for the cost of sending such text messages.[0002]A charging method is disclosed in EP 0 753 957 A2 in which a GSM user as sender sends an SMS message to an Internet user as recipient. In the text field (i.e., in the user data) of the transmitted SMS message, the GSM user can also insert a reply stamp at his / her cost. If the recipient inserts this stamp in an SMS reply to the original sender in the reply text, this reply remains free of cost to him / her.[0003]WO 00 / 41415 merely relates to a coordination procedure for obtaining replies from mobile radio device users in response to an inqu...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a method for allowing data recipients to answer received data free of charge. This method allows data senders to conduct surveys or conduct other types of surveys without the need to pay for each reply message. The recipient can be certain that their reply is free of charge, making it easier for them to control costs. The sender can set the cost of the reply messages and can selectively pay for one or more of them. The service provider can inform the sender of the costs associated with the reply messages. The method also allows the data sender to set a time limit for the reply and can limit the number of replies from a given recipient. The method can be particularly useful for bulk transmissions such as TED surveys or sales via telemarketing. Overall, the method provides a precise and controllable way for data senders to manage costs associated with the responses of data recipients."

Problems solved by technology

This allows the data sender, for example, to conduct surveys which would have previously required the responder to assume the cost of reply messages in each case, thus resulting in a low response rate.

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